Ami
by konekokoi
Summary: Ami's parents have been separated for many years, but what will happen when the the three of them camp-out while Shoji completes a commission for a landscape of Hikawa Shrine?
1. Logic of the Heart

Author's notes: I do not own Sailor Moon; the pleasure belongs to Naoko Takeuchi. That being said, please enjoy my first ever fan fic :)

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Ami sighed unhappily. Usually solving complex equations was therapeutic; she could block out battle, block out the jealous glares of her school rivals, and lose herself to the pure rationality of the numerical world. "Why can't all other areas of life be so logical?" she mused as she stood up and stretched. "And what on earth am I going to do about Urawa-kun?"

It wasn't that she didn't like Urawa; he was intelligent, and cute, and it was nice, in a way, to have someone pay such attention to her…she blushed recalling his confession that he had meant to show his love for her after he managed to surpass her score on one of the exams. So why was it that though she admired him, appreciated his respect, and had the best hopes for his future, she was unable to feel any attraction to him? Why was she worried about such a thing to begin with?

"It's probably just the rest of the scouts…" continued her train of thought. Usagi and Minako in particular had begun teasing her about Urawa the moment they saw his name above hers on the posted scores list.

"_Ami! He could be your perfect fit! Do you know him? Is he handsome?" pestered Minako._

"_I, sailor of love and justice will help bring such perfect geniuses together!" Usagi added with conviction._

"_Ano…that's very kind, but…" Ami stuttered._

"Aagh," Ami groaned. Just because Usagi and Minako swooned over every suteki young man from age fifteen to twenty-five, should they expect her to do the same? She had her studying to focus on. On the other hand, wasn't it normal for girls their age to experience such crushes? She rubbed her temples in frustration. Maybe she was just overanalyzing things.

Ami walked back to her desk, determined to regain her focus. Equation therapy had never failed her before, and Urawa, Usagi, and Minako together were not going to shake her stability now. She had solved exactly one equation when she was distracted again, this time by the phone.

"Moshi moshi?"

"Ami-chan? I'll be home from work late again tonight. One of my patients is in critical condition and requires immediate surgery."

"Wakarimashita. Is there anything you would like me to do Okaasan?"

"No darling, just don't forget to study. And turn out the lights when you go to sleep."

"Hai."

"That's my good girl."

"Bye Mom."

Ami was not prone to pouting, but her mouth couldn't help but turn down. This was the fourth night this week her mother had been out late. And all she had to say was be sure to study! Ami loved her mother dearly, but she wished so much that she was available to talk to more! But maybe her mother wouldn't be the best to talk to anyway…after all, Ami already knew that studying was important.

It was just that lately, she had begun to realize that she was studying not just because she wanted to become a doctor like her mother; she was also studying because it filled the emptiness she felt inside because her mother was always gone.

Maybe she was thinking of Urawa-kun not just because Usagi and Minako had teased her about him, but because she had been hoping, just a little bit, that he could help ease her loneliness. How frustrating not to be attracted to the seemingly perfect solution...

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Comments? What did you think of the inserted Japanese words? Were they easy enough to understand in context? I tried to only use phrases that appear repeatedly in the anime, but I recognize that not all readers have had the opportunity to watch the Japanese version. Please review! (I enabled anonymous review- sorry to those of you who were unable to review the first time)

glossary:

suteki-wonderful, great, handsome, cool

moshi moshi- words used in place of "hello" when answering the phone

okaa-san-mother

wakarimashita-I understand


	2. A Painful Decision

Author's Notes: I do not own sailor moon. Thank you ever so much for the helpful reviews; I have updated the first chapter to reflect some of your thoughts, and included a glossary for the included Japanese vocabulary. Here is the next installment! Please note that text in italics is flashback.

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Ami's mother unlocked the door and haggardly entered her and her daughter's shared apartment at approximately 1:30 am. What a long day it had been! But she was glad to be so exhausted. After all, her exertions had saved the lives of several patients that day, hadn't they? Several patients, but not nearly enough, she grieved. Not enough to ease her aching heart.

_"Why must you always work such long hours?" her husband had asked. "Ami and I miss you so much. Was it so bad taking a hiatus during our daughter's first year? I recognize your independence, and your desire to re-enter the workplace, and I know that it is your passion to heal, but couldn't you come home early sometimes? Or at least take a long weekend now and then? Ami has been crying herself to sleep nearly every night because you're not here to give her even a good night kiss, and I confess, a few times I have done the same."_

_"Healing isn't just my passion, it is my life. And it means saving the lives of others. Don't you realize that in a split second any one of my patients could die? I love you and Ami dearly, but you are both safe and healthy. Don't you realize that I'm more needed elsewhere?"_

_"But we need you too! Although we may not have external injuries, our hearts are breaking. You've rarely been home at all the entire last six months! All I ask is that you come home one or two hours earlier. Just early enough so that you can admire Ami's rapidly expanding vocabulary and tuck her in at night. Just early enough to do more than grunt 'Is the alarm set?' when you crawl into bed with me and lie as if dead for the next four hours until you set off again. Can't you give us that much?"_

_"Let's sleep," she had answered, then hesitated, and continued, "I'll try."_

_The next day had been a nightmare of emergencies at the hospital, but as promised, she watched the clock, and officially checked out at 6:30, three hours earlier than usual. As she headed for the door, a young intern ran to block her way. "Mizuno-sensei! A two-year old has just been admitted. She has third degree burns covering her entire body and severe head trauma."_

_Ami's mother had winced, then looked away. "My family needs me," she replied. "This is what your are trained to do; I can't personally oversee every case. I'm sure she will recover in your and the doctors' hands." With that she had rushed out, determined that at least tonight her husband and daughter would not feel neglected._

_It was a lovely evening. Ami's vocabulary had indeed exploded; she could now talk in complete sentences, and when she was finally given one last kiss and was tucked in for the night, she stated proudly "Papa helps me read. We study so so -yawn- I be a doctor like -yawn- Mama…someday." How precocious she was!_

_After Ami fell asleep, Ami's mother remembered, she and her husband had even shared a romantic caress for the first time since she had gone back to work. Perhaps she did need to learn to let go of her patients just a bit…_

_She had gone to work smiling the next day; she had made the right decision. And then she saw the young intern. Her face was sunk and tear-stained. "Mizuno-sensei," she sobbed, "I- I- why, why couldn't we save her?" _

_How could she have been so selfish? How could she have left somebody else's two-year old dying child, just to go home and kiss her own, healthy daughter good night? From that morning forward work became her one, frenzied focus. If only, if only…_

_Her husband had left her tearfully sometime after. He loved her he said…but she had become obsessed. He hoped that when he left she would come to her senses, if only enough to care for Ami as such a wonderful daughter deserved._

Ami is a wonderful daughter, her mother thought with pride. She understands how important my vocation is. She is so patient, so uncomplaining…and how hard she studies! Someday she _will_ take my place as- "Ami-chan!" Suddenly Ami's mother leaned against the wall and sobbed. Her daughter sat asleep at her desk, eyes swollen, with her hand resting on a tear-stained, barely recognizable snap shot, fourteen years old, of a laughing man, woman, and infant.

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Please review!

glossary:

sensei-doctor's title (yes, also used to address teachers)


	3. Life in the Woods

Author's notes: This chapter is short, but it sets up what is to come next. Please enjoy! disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon

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"I'll be waiting for your reply Mizuno-san."

"Wakarimashita. And, Minamoto-san, thank you for your interest in my work. I will get back to you as soon as possible."

"Sayonara."

"Sayonara."

Ami's father saw his client to the door, then meandered slowly back to his sketch pad. Minamoto-san was interested in a large-scale landscape of Hikawa Shrine. He was willing to pay well, but such a request was complicated. First permission must be requested from the shrine's head priest. Likely an offering would be appropriate. And then all the time required to spend studying the shrine, and making the original sketch, followed by the coloring- Ami's father estimated that at least five visits would be necessary: two for general observations, two for sketching, and one for the color, which was best completed in as few hours as possible. Landscapes, he believed, are most captivating when they capture the essence of light and shadow in a precise, impermanent moment. Adding to the complexity of the request was the fact that Mizuno had in fact not left the near vicinity of his secluded cabin more than once per year for the past fourteen years.

After he had left his wife and daughter, the outside world had lost its charm. His cabin allowed him to forget the pain of losing his wife to the needs of others, protected him from becoming lost in guilt, and let him absorb himself completely in artistic creation. Still, because he occasionally needed to market his work, buy provisions, and remind himself why he lived in isolation, one time per year he spent a few days in the city. It was during these times that he eased his conscience and enjoyed himself by spending time with his daughter. Because Ami was so logical and quick-minded, Mizuno-san taught her to play chess at a young age. However, he did not want her to become too focused on academics, so to give her another outlet to express and relax herself he taught her to swim. Although he only played or swam with her for a short time each year, he purchased a membership in a local sports club so that she could swim by herself whenever she wanted. Mizuno smiled to himself as he recalled how last year, at the age of barely fourteen years, his daughter had almost beat him in a one hundred yard freestyle race.

Ami was growing and maturing so quickly! And adolescence is such a confusing time, mused Mizuno. Perhaps it wouldn't be such a bad thing to spend a little extra time away from his cabin. Yes, he would take the commission for the watercolor of the shrine. And in his free-time when the lighting was poor, he could surprise Ami with a special visit.

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Thank you for the lovely reviews! I will try to update 1-2 times/week. Do continue to tell me what you think. My goal is to stay as accurate to the anime and manga as possible, but to fill in a few gaps that I felt could be explained. I will of course throw in occasional original characters (such Mizuno's wealthy patron Minamoto) and plot lines, especially after setting the complete backdrop.

glossary:

sayonara- good bye


	4. The Mess We've Made

Author's Notes: Sorry for the extended hiatus- however, chapter four is now up! Please enjoy.

_disclaimer_: I do not own Sailor Moon.

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Rei stopped her sweeping and blinked in the bright sunlight. She had thought she heard footsteps on the path approaching the shrine…but perhaps not?

A handsome, slender middle-aged man appeared from out of the shadows. "Lovely morning," he said casually as he approached, "Hino, Rei, isn't it?"

"E-excuse me?" stuttered Rei. How had this man approached so quietly? And he knew her name? He was to young to be one of Ojiisan's friends…and yet, he looked so familiar…the sad look in his dark blue-grey eyes…

"Gomenasai, that was a bit direct, wasn't it? I'm afraid I've lost all skills in navigating social situations gracefully. Allow me to start over. My name is Mizuno- I'm an artist who has been commissioned to capture the aesthetics of Hikawa Shrine in the form of a watercolor illustration. I was wondering if I might have permission to observe the shrine for a few days, set up a small temporary studio and fulfill my patron's request."

"Mizuno-san!" exclaimed Rei.

"_Ami, are you coming to study group today?" asked Rei._

"_Ano…actually…" began Ami._

"_Oooooh you have to come!" squealed Minako._

"_Demo…the truth is…"_

"_But we have a surprise planned for you!" burst out Usagi._

"_USAGI!" shouted all the inners in unison._

_Ami blushed. "A surprise?" she asked._

"_It IS your birthday, isn't it?" Rei replied, glaring at Makoto, who immediately colored deeply, then looked toward Ami questioningly._

"_Hai, demo…" started Ami._

"_Demo nani?!" wailed Usagi. "Mako-chan made you a delicious cake, and, _

_and-"_

"_USAGI!" moaned the others._

"_Ami-chan, you don't mind, do you? Is everything alright?" asked Minako._

"_Minna, arigatou," said Ami with a downcast eyes, "but please, can we do it another time? The truth is, I'm meeting with my dad. Every year for my birthday we meet at his athletic club to swim, and then spend the evening playing chess and catching up on the past year. It's the only time I see him so…"_

"_Ami-chan, gomenasai!" blurted Makoto. "It's just that we when we were split up in to groups for last year's school celebration, sensei separated us by birth date and wanted to make it a special day for you and the others wanted to help…"_

_Ami's eyes widened. "You remembered my birthday from that?"_

_Makoto colored again, "I didn't realize it was your only day with your dad…" _

"_Mizuno, Ami…,"added a gentle new voice, "your father is an artist, isn't he? I've heard that he draws his inspiration from seclusion in nature. I admire him greatly." _

"_Michiru-san!" gasped the inners. _

"_Otanjoubi omedetou Ami-chan," said a husky-voiced young blond. _

"_Arigatou Haruka-san," replied Ami, "you knew my birthday too?"_

"_I may have had some help," said the blond, tossing a flirtatious look toward Makoto, who looked near collapse._

"_Ara, Haruka! Just for once.." scolded Michiru. "Would you like a ride to the gym, Ami-chan?" she added kindly._

Rei couldn't help but stare at this man, Ami's father. What kind of man was he? And how had he known her name? On that one day per year Ami spent with her father had she…?

"Ano…daijoubu?" asked Mizuno, with concern in his eyes. "Perhaps it disconcerts you that I knew your name? I shouldn't have used it so casually, it's just that Ami has told me so much about you and the rest of her friends- you are Rei-san aren't you?"

"H-hai! Sumimasen, chotto matte kudasai!" stammered Rei, then ran inside the shrine calling "Ojii-san!"

"Hai hai, nani?" he asked cheerfully as he emerged. "Are your cute friends here?"

"Baka no Ojii-san!" Rei scolded with a swat. "Ami-chan's otou-san is here.

He-"

"Aaah lucky man! Such a cute daughter…" started Rei's grandfather.

Rei sweat dropped."Ojii-saaaaan! He's an artist. He wants permission to paint the shrine. Ii desu ka?" she continued in frustration.

"Ah, hai hai," Ojii-san replied, then wandered off mumbling, "maybe the rest of Rei-chan's cute friends will come to watch?" The feel of his granddaughter's glare on the back of his head caused him to quicken his pace.

Rei returned to the front of the shrine where Mizuno stood patiently waiting, admiring the large overhead trees. "Mizuno-san, you have the shrine's permission," Rei informed him.

"Ah, yokatta," replied Mizuno with a smile. "And…," he continued, "do me a favor? Don't tell Ami-chan that I'm here. I want to surprise her."

"Hai!" answered Rei, then watched as Mizuno disappeared down the path beneath the foliage.

Ami's father stepped into his elegant, yet simple white sports car and drove slowly away from the shrine. Where would Ami be now, he wondered. He should have asked her friend, he supposed, but it would be just as rewarding to seek her out himself. Saturday morning…she could be out having a swim, or (though he cringed at the thought) fitting in a bit of extra time at cram school. If that was the case she might not want to be disturbed. His wife, if he guessed right was probably already at the hospital, even on such a lovely weekend day. He fingered the apartment key he still had on his key ring- perhaps he would wait inside for Ami. He wouldn't be breaking and entering, the apartment was still part his after all.

As Mizuno cruised into the apartment building's parking lot, he began to feel a bit nervous. Wasn't that his wife's black sedan? Was she home after all? If she was…would she be glad to see him? Did it mean that she was changed? He laughed bitterly to himself. To think that he would be so uplifted by seeing her car in the parking lot on a Saturday morning. Maybe she had carpooled with a friend. Well, he had come this far. He turned off the ignition, and entered the building.

Ami's father walked slowly to the elevator, took his time pushing the button for the correct floor, and warily approached the apartment he had once known so well. Should he knock? He rested his knuckles on the door, then moved his hand down to the knob, which twisted surprisingly easily. It was unlocked? Something must be wrong- he opened the door quickly, stepped inside, and gasped.

Although it was bright outside, inside the apartment the only light came from the still open door. His wife, Saeko, still in her doctor's uniform, lay asleep, curled in a corner against the wall, and Ami was bent over her desk, studying? No, asleep as well. Mizuno sat down in pain. What had happened? Was this what his family had come to? Why hadn't he taken Ami with him? He had thought that even a workaholic mother would be better for a growing girl than just a father, and Ami had never complained- but when had the two of them began working so late that they finally slept exhausted on the floor in their uniforms with the door unlocked? Guilt and anger overwhelmed him, and he moaned aloud.

Saeko stirred, then jumped to alertness. "Wh-what? H-how? Sh-shoji! This isn't what I think, what you think it's…" she looked at her estranged husband forlornly.

"What is it Saeko-san?" He replied with deadly calm.

Saeko stiffened at his use of the polite ending, but couldn't bring herself to be angry. It was her fault after all, wasn't it? "I'm sorry," she whispered, then made a movement toward the stairs, but stopped, as Shoji touched her arm.

"Saeko?" he questioned with intensity, "What happened? The door was unlocked, you were asleep on the floor, and Ami…," he noticed the tear stains on his wife's face.

"What can I do?" she asked. "I wanted so badly to be a good mother, but all of my patients, all their lives…" she continued. "I thought Ami was taking it well, I thought she understood the sacrifice I was making, and maybe she did, but…" Here she gestured toward Ami, "I think she was waiting for me. I've never seen her cry, I didn't know she even had that old photo but…there she was, holding it, tear-stained, asleep..." Ami's mother laughed somewhat hysterically, "and then I collapsed. What am I doing to us Shoji?"

Ami's father didn't speak, but stared at the photo in question, the last family picture they had taken all together, then gently lifted his daughter up from her desk and carried her to her room. When he arrived back downstairs, Saeko had pulled herself together a bit. "So, what are you going to do?" he asked her. "This obviously cannot continue."

"No," she stated, "you're right. But I need some time to think. Maybe, maybe you could take her with you for a few days?"

"Of course," Shoji replied, "but I don't think that's a permanent solution. Ami needs us, both of us. I didn't realize it was affecting her so much either- but," here he made a troubled face, "obviously I was wrong to act the way I did as well." He paused, then continued, "Actually, I'm going to be in town for the next couple days. I've been commissioned to do a painting of the Hikawa Shrine. Do you think Ami would like to camp out there with me?"

"I'm sure she would love it," answered Saeko with a wavering smile. "I'll send her over when she wakes up."

"And Saeko-"

"Hai?"

"Make sure she doesn't pack too many text books?"

Ami's mother cringed, then replied, "Yes…I think you're right, I've pushed her far more than I realized. Anything else?"

"Just…well…sometimes it's ok to let yourself go too, you know? You're the best doctor I've ever known, but sometimes, sometimes-people die. Even if you are there to help."

Saeko stiffened, then winced and said, "Please, just go for now?"

"Wakatta," Shoji answered, and shut the door softly as he returned to the parking lot below.

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So, what do you think? Just to clear up any confusion, I took Ami's mother's name from the Sailor moon live-action and made up her father's name. The name does not have any special significance to the story, I just felt that it would be convenient for him to have a name. Also, although according to some accounts Ami's parents are divorced, in my story they are just separated; no legal action has been taken. Do you like the longer chapter length? Please review!

Glossary:

ojiisan- grandfather

gomenasai- sorry

demo- but

nani- what

minna- everyone

arigatou- thank you

hai- yes

sensei- teacher

otanjoubi omedetou- happy birthday

daijoubu- ok/are you ok

yokatta- good

sumimasen, chotto matte kudasai- excuse me, just a moment

baka- foolish


	5. An Unexpected Awakening

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon

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Ami blinked, then stared up at ceiling. The ceiling? She had just been studying, hadn't she? Differential calculus? But what? Right- Urawa…nothing to be done there, she mused. But she didn't remember going to bed on that subject…no- there was the phone call, now she remembered, and paled in shame. Her mother had just said that she would be out late again, that was all. Had just reminded her to study…again. But her mother's job was important. And her mother knew that academics were important as well…she was just focused. That was all…focused- not cold, uncaring, selfish…

A pillow flew across the room and Ami curled tighter under her covers, blinking away fresh tears. If only her father were here. He knew she was more than academics, knew that relaxing and fun were important, and affection…here she bit her lip. And he provided them exactly once a year. How much did he love her after all? Ami tightened her muscles even more, then slowly, very slowly relaxed them and took a deep breath. Maybe a shower would help her feel better. A shower and a cup of tea…tea with lots of honey she pouted, then suddenly sat bolt upright. She had been at her desk, by the kitchen…and the photo…and crying…she hadn't even gone up to bed had she? And what time was it now? She looked to her alarm clock and her eyes widened in shock. 11:30?! She hadn't slept so late in…

A crash sounded from downstairs, and Ami jumped. Somebody else was in the apartment? Her mother was never home so late in the morning; Ami herself was never home so late in the morning! She climbed quickly out of bed and reached for a robe, only to realize she was still fully dressed in her school uniform (and ridiculously creased, damp with sweat, and slightly odorous she noted with dismay). Shaking her head, she walked briskly to the door, darted down the hallway, and peered cautiously down the stairwell. Her mother, looking every bit as disheveled and out of sorts as Ami herself, was standing in the kitchen, holding an open carton of milk and eyeing the spilled contents of a large mixing bowl around her feet in distress.

"Okaa-san!" Ami exclaimed, "ittai nani ga atta no?"

"A-ami-chan! I was just, just making you some breakfast, but the milk and the bowl and…" she smiled ruefully. "I guess I'm a bit out of practice, ne?"

Ami quickly went to her mother's side and began mopping up the mess. "You're not going to the hospital this morning?" she asked.

"Nope." She smiled brightly, then teared up, "You don't have to clean that up sweetheart, I'll get it. You had a rough time last night ne?"

Suddenly Ami realized what her mother must have seen. "kaa-chan, gomen! I didn't mean to make you worry, I didn't mean…"

Saeko's eyes crinkled further, and tears began pouring in a steady stream. "I'm so sorry Ami-chan!" she sobbed.

"Daijoubu! Daijoubu yo!" Ami stammered. "I understand, I mean it's your work, and you have so many patients, and maybe I get a bit lonely sometimes, but…"

"Sometimes?" her mother sniffed, then sobbed again. "Please don't try to make me feel better Ami, my work is important, but…but your father is right."

"Otou-san?" Ami asked, confused.

"He- he was here this morning. I was a bit of a wreck I'm afraid, but he carried you up to your room, and left me with some things to think about."

"He was here? He carried me? But how? Why?"

"I think he was just stopping by to say hi. He said he was commissioned to paint Hikawa Shrine, and since it's near by…"

"Dad stopped by just to say hi?"

Ami's mother winced and put her arms around Ami with a sad, but determined look. "He loves you Ami, and so do I. We- we've made a lot of mistakes between the two of us, but we're going to try harder from now on, ok?"

"I love you too Mom. Is- is dad coming back?"

"He's staying at the shrine for the next few days. He was wondering if you might want to stay there with him?"

"Hai! Arigatou Okaa-san! Demo…what about you? You can't stop your work altogether…but could you come and camp with us too?"

Saeko's brow creased. "I don't think I'm quite ready for that love. I've got a lot of thinking and planning I still need to do. I want to be a bigger part of your life, but- I just want to make sure my conscience is really completely free this time…it would be so easy for me to be drawn back into that tangle of guilt…"

"Okaa-chan?"

Saeko sighed. "You don't remember when your father left, do you?"

Ami looked troubled. "No. I don't remember us ever being all together…I've always thought that maybe- maybe you were just too different. Dad always says that he loves me, but that there just isn't room for him in your life."

"It would seem that way," replied Saeko with a sigh, "but I never meant for it to be like that. It's just- just I've always felt insecure leaving the hospital when my patients are in critical condition. I knew the time away was upsetting your father, so against my instincts, one day I left the hospital early…just as a small girl, the same age you were at the time, was admitted covered in serious burns. I left her in the care of the other doctors, even when I was asked to stay. Maybe it's irrational but…I've always felt that if I had been there, the little girl might have been saved. That her death was a direct effect of my choice that night. Since then I've become manic, focusing all my energy to make up for my mistake."

"I'm so sorry," whispered Ami. She stared at the wall for a moment. "I understand your feeling." A pause followed, and then, "Can you imagine being the mother of such a child? Imagine if the burns were preventable…maybe they didn't have an alarm…"

Saeko shuddered. "How easily lives can be ruined- such seemingly small decisions..."

"Demo, Kaa-chan, we still have each other. And we're together, at least for now. I'm sure the child's mother has someone who still loves her as well. Where ever she is, I hope she is enjoying her own life that was spared."

"Oh Ami, you have such a young and bright outlook. You're right of course though…life isn't worth living if we only focus on the deaths, is it? How foolish I've been…"

"According to my studies, such feelings are quite normal among doctors. Many texts advise doctors have close relationships outside of the hospital, and a special hobby to release feelings of guilt and pressure."

Saeko stared at her daughter in horror. "Ami!! How much time DO you spend studying??" She then tearfully laughed at herself. "I feel thoroughly insufficient. They rarely emphasized such psychological impacts when I was interning, and here you are, barely in high school telling me something that every beginning medical student should know."

Ami blushed deeply. "Text books are interesting," she stammered. "One text always leads to another you know, and I have had lots of time to fill…"

Saeko hugged her daughter tightly. "I can't promise an instant recovery, but from now on I'll at least talk out my feelings with you, alright?" She then smirked. "I don't suppose you have a text on getting half-made pancake batter out of school uniforms do you? Because I just covered yours in it!"

Ami stepped out of her mother's embrace and stared down at her blouse in dismay. "Okaa-san!" Then she laughed. "According to Everyday Clothing Wash and Care, it should come out easily with warm water," she stated.

Saeko groaned. "Ami!!" Then she sat down in the puddle still docilely covering the kitchen floor and playfully threw a handful of the goo up at Ami's skirt. "Take that!"

Ami pointedly ignored the further mess. "So, are you camping out with us or not?" she asked.

"I'll come." she said.

"Aishiteru Okaa-san!" Ami replied gleefully, then crouching to the floor, scooped up some goop and rubbed it in her mother's hair, "but we should get cleaned up a bit first, ne?"

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Please review!

Glossary:

okaa-san (kaa-san, kaa-chan)- mom

ittai nani ga atta no- what in the world happened

daijoubu-all right

otou-san- dad

hai, arigatou, demo- yes, thank you, but


	6. Camping, part I

Author's notes: Another update! This chapter mostly focuses on Ami's parents, but she will rotate back to being the main character eventually. Please enjoy :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon (all rights go to Naoko Takeuchi)

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Shoji whistled softly to himself as he constructed a temporary structure from fallen branches. His mind wandered back to his meeting with Saeko. She seemed to have changed so little over the years- still intensely driven, intensely conflicted, intensely beautiful…how a woman could look so disheveled, exhausted, and pale-faced, yet elegant at the same time, he would never be able to fathom. He wished he could have taken her in his arms to comfort her, but he had lacked the courage. She had looked so frail…but what if she had rejected him? Suddenly he froze; what if she had another lover? … Shoji sweat-dropped. This was _Saeko_ he was thinking about; when in her five hours per day away from the hospital would she find time to have another lover? But still…that didn't mean that she would embrace _his_ return to her life, even if her "thinking" did result in some kind of resolution and time away from the hospital…

"Otou-san! Are we camping in that??"

Shoji startled at Ami's voice and took a step back to look at his handiwork. What had emerged during his musings was a high-ceilinged, multi-textured, twig mansion, so ephemeral it appeared it would collapse if his daughter so much as breathed on it. "A ha ha…" he laughed ruefully. "I guess I got a bit distracted."

A musical laugh sounded, and Saeko said, "It's lovely dear, but…a bit impractical, don't you think?"

"S-Saeko! You came too…dear?" stuttered Shoji.

Saeko blushed as her husband echoed her familiar address. "Ami wanted- that is, she asked, and I wanted-"

"To- camp?" he asked in disbelief.

"If you don't mind that is…"

"O-of course not- that is- I would love to have your company," Shoji replied, "but what on earth do you suppose we should do with this?" He gestured sheepishly toward the twig palace.

"Actually, I just analyzed the structure," interrupted Ami, and looking at her father in awe continued, "and remarkably it is completely sound! You did this without a plan?"

"Well, yes…" he admitted. "I meant to be a little more organized about it, but like I said, I was some what distracted so…I have no idea how I constructed it."

"Incredible," stated Ami. "I wonder if I could create a blue-print for it…"

Saeko gave her daughter a bemused look. "Your interests really are varied, aren't they? Are you sure you want to follow me and study medicine after all?"

"Kaa-san," protested Ami, "It's always been my dream to study medicine. But it really is good for physicians to have outside hobbies! Now let me see…" she said, eyeing the structure once more and pulling out a sketch book from her bag.

Saeko and Shoji watched their daughter's work in silence for a few moments, then shyly made eye contact. "Help me unload the car?" Saeko asked.

"Of course," answered Shoji. The two of them meandered slowly toward the car, which was parked in the shrine's lot a small distance away. "How was the rest of the morning?" asked Shoji tentatively.

"Ano ne…" Saeko answered, suddenly touching the tips of her index fingers together.

"Nani?" asked Shoji, with slight concern. "Was Ami upset when she woke up?"

"Sou ne… but a bit more surprised I think."

"It…had been a while since you were home when she woke up on a Saturday morning…ne?"

Saeko searched her husbands face for any accusation accompanying his statement, but there wasn't any, for which she was grateful. "Ah…I think she thought I was a burglar," answered Saeko sheepishly.

Shoji stopped and laughed. "So was it pepper spray or an entire squadron of police?"

Saeko groaned. "Neither thank goodness! The burglar idea was quickly quelled I think when she peeked down the stairwell and saw me standing in a puddle of pancake batter in the kitchen."

Shoji sweat-dropped. "I see. Dear, have you ever been able to make pancakes successfully? I don't seem to remember it being one of your high points…"

"Well…I thought my skills might have improved. I just wanted to try- I mean- to show her that I care and…that- that I'm going to try from now on."

"How do the two of you usually eat, anyway?"

"I- I don't know," answered Saeko, flabbergasted. "Sometimes take-out, sometimes I just fast," she admitted, "but actually…I think Ami can cook. Sometime I heat up food that is in the fridge when I come home late…" she stopped, horrified. "Shoji, I don't even know if our daughter can cook. If she can't, I'm not even sure whose food I've been eating."

"Saeko! You're a doctor for heaven's sake! Shouldn't you have a better idea of where your food comes from than that? And if you eat that sporadically your nutrient intake must be terrible! It's a good your focus is critical care and not nutrition. How could you ever set an example for your patients?" he half-seriously teased.

"Ooh Shoji one thing at a time! I can only change and apologize for so much!"

"I know," he said, taking her hand. "You don't know how proud I am of you. When I walked into the apartment earlier today…"

The vibration of Saeko's phone cut him off. She looked at him, stricken, "My supervisor, Takayama," she whispered, then answered it, "Moshi moshi?"

"Mizuno-sensei?" a voice questioned.

"Hai," she answered.

"Ima doko ni irashaimasu ka?" Takayama continued in concern.

"Ano ne…"

"You aren't hurt are you?"

"No! No, nothing like that, it's just that… I've decided to take a rest. I'm spending the next few days camping with my family," answered Saeko firmly.

A sigh of relief was heard from the other end of the phone. "Good for you," Takayama encouraged warmly.

"Y-you're not upset?" asked Saeko.

"Mizuno, I was becoming downright worried about not only your work, but your health," lectured her supervisor. "This is the first time you've voluntarily taken time off in over ten years, and I was considering ordering you to take a sabbatical. Doctors can never perform their best when they're constantly exhausted and consumed in guilt," he added gently.

Saeko nearly dropped her phone in shock. Was she the only one oblivious to her condition?

"Mizuno?" Takayama questioned at her silence.

"H-hai," she replied.

"Enjoy yourself leisurely, ok? Call when you feel that you're ready to come back."

"Wakatta. Arigatou Gozaimasu." Saeko closed her phone and stared at her husband in disbelief. "I believe I have just been formally asked to take as much personal time as I need," she said. "Maybe I'll have to do as Ami suggested and find a hobby after all…"

"I can think of a hobby you could take up," Shoji answered, eyeing his wife flirtatiously.

"Shoji!" she scolded, blushing.

Shoji blushed too, and turned away. "So, we have some blankets and clothes to unload?" he asked in a business-like manner.

"Yes," she replied, not-so-elegantly hiding her reddened cheeks behind a large stack of bedding. "Maybe you could grab the two rucksacks?"

Shoji picked up the two light-weight articles and trailed embarrassedly behind his wife back to the camp. What was it about her that made him feel like such a little school boy? But apparently she isn't elegant quite all the time, he mused with a small smile.

* * *

Please Review!

Glossary:

Ima doko ni irashaimasu ka?- Where are you? (respectful)


	7. Camping, part II

Author's notes: Sorry for the slight hiatus; I made the chap a bit longer in attempts to make up for it- so please enjoy!

disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon

* * *

"Done!" Ami exclaimed with a yawn. She was greeted by only the quiet chirping of late afternoon cicadas. Heh? What was taking her parents so long…? She smiled in glee, then giggled as Saeko appeared walking briskly and flushed, Shoji traipsing bashfully behind. For a day that had started out so badly, events were definitely changing for the better. If only her parents would…!! Ami wracked her brain quickly trying to think of a way to encourage her parents' seeming re-found mutual interest. Well if it was the time alone on the walk to the car that started it…she would definitely not let that alone time be interrupted by her!

Suddenly becoming bold in her determination Ami quickly hugged her mother and said briskly, but affectionately, "Kaa-chan, aishiteru! I'm going to go say hi to Rei at the shrine, ok? Call me if you need anything." She then winked at her father, who blushed furiously.

"A-ami!" he stuttered. Then murmured, "I didn't think she had that in her…"

Ami colored deeply herself, muttered, "I'm counting on you to take advantage of this dad," and actually trotted down the path. "Need to stretch my legs you know…" she called back. She slowed to a walk and smiled once again as soon as she was out of sight. It was too much to hope for, but could they??

"Ami-chan, Ami-chaaaaaan!" a voice exploded from the shrine as Ami approached. "Otou-san ha doko?"

"Doko?" Another voice echoed.

"Minako-chan, Usagi-chan!" Ami said in surprise, "Doshite koko ni…? Douyatte shiruyou ni natta no?"

Rei-chan appeared from inside the shrine, elbow out, hand behind her head. "Hehe…" she tittered. "I just mentioned that an elegant and charming artist was here to paint our shrine and…"

Mako-chan emerged from that the shrine as well, "and she let it slip that he was your mysterious father so…"

"M-mysterious?" stuttered Ami. "Minna!" Ami sweat-dropped as a familiar pale-yellow convertible drove into sight.

"Ami-chan, vosu!" came the car's accompanying voice, and Haruka and Michiru some-what embarrassedly joined the group.

"M-michiru-san? You too? But, Haruka…"

"Ara, you know Haruka can never resist so many kawaii onna no ko together in one setting…" Michiru replied, looking at her partner teasingly.

"Oi, oi! Did you have to say it like that?" replied Haruka, coloring slightly, then teased back, "Such an elegant man, and he draws his inspiration from his mysterious seclusion in nature…Haruka…_darling _could we…?"

The inner scouts gasped in unison. Minako and Usagi began to swoon with heart eyes, "Darling!!" they squealed.

Michiru flushed deeply. "D-darling?" she stammered, then with a mischievous grin said in a sultry voice, "Well then daaarling, I'm off to find the elegant artist. Don't have tooo much fun with your kittens while I'm gone. You might find the couch a bit lonely on such a long Saturday night." She slowly winked toward the inners, whose jaws had dropped several inches, then blushing madly herself, walked briskly away down the path.

Haruka stared after Michiru in amazement, then looked back to the inners and scratched her head sheepishly. "Sorry kittens, I was going to offer to take you all for a romantic cruise, but..

"A cruise?!" squawked Minako.

"Mamoru no houga ii, Mamoru no houga ii, Mamoru no houga ii…" chanted Usagi under her breath.

Rei sweat-dropped and bopped Usagi on the head.

"I wish I had such a suteki car…" sighed Mako-chan.

Ami eyed all her friends bemusedly. "Hopeless, aren't they?" Haruka whispered to her huskily, at which point Ami too blushed, and Haruka strode down the path after Michiru, whistling cheerfully. All the inners sighed wistfully, watching the wind play with the retreating senshi's already tossed hair.

Mako, this time, was the first to recover, and noticing Ami's longing face still turned toward the path, stammered, "Ne, Ami-chan…what is your otou-san like? Will we all really be able to meet him? Of course he wouldn't mind speaking to an art prodigy like Michiru-san, or a race star like Haruka-san, but…"

Ami broke out of her daze. "Of course you can meet him Mako-chan," she replied with a smile. "He's always said he wanted to meet my high-spirited friend who can feels so at home both in the martial arts arena and in the kitchen. It's just he never seemed to have the time…" here she sighed. "It was too painful for him to stay in the city for very long actually I think…" she continued, "but now that he and Okaa-san…" Suddenly Ami blushed deeply as she remembered her quick retreat from her father's constructed dwelling. She then froze- what about Haruka and Michiru? Would they see…would her parents be?? There was no way she was going to let them interrupt! How could she have forgotten so easily!?

"Ano, A-ami-chan?" stuttered a very confused, but grinning Makoto (she didn't know what Ami was blushing about, but Ami telling her father about her was enough to make her grin through anything).

"We have to stop them!" gasped Ami.

"Heh?" chorused the inners.

"Stop who?" asked Rei.

"Haruka and Michiru!" exclaimed the bluenette.

"You don't want them to meet your father?" questioned Makoto. "But I thought you said that he didn't mi-"

"No, no you don't understand! You see Okaa-san-"

"Your mom doesn't want him to meet anyone?" filled in Minako helpfully.

Ami shook her head violently and groaned, "aaagh I'll explain later. I've got to run after them!"

With this, Ami raced down the path, leaving the rest of the inners standing flabbergasted behind her.

"What are you guys waiting for?" demanded Makoto. "If Ami is so worked up about something, don't you think we should follow her?"

"H-hai," the others stuttered, still dazed. They then trotted briskly after the water senshi's quickly retreating footsteps.

_Meanwhile, back at the camp…_

"Ami so badly wants us to be a family again, doesn't she?" Saeko stated softly, her eyes following her determinedly trotting away daughter.

"Sou ne.." mused Shoji. He then gently touched his wife's cheek. "Would you mind so much?" he asked quietly, staring imploringly into her eyes. "I know it was wrong for me to leave, selfish of me to assume that taking my presence away would cause you to heal faster or force you to spend more time with Ami…"

"You haven't been any more selfish than I have," answered Saeko sadly, eyes to the ground. "If Ami hadn't collapsed…if you hadn't come when you did…"

Shoji massaged her shoulders, "I'm sure you would have made the realization eventually," he said comfortingly. His grip on her tightened slightly as he added "But-but I'm glad that I could be there to help. I'm glad that I could still be the one to support you. I-I'm glad that you didn't just kick me out in fury after all these years…"

Saeko laughed shakily. "I hardly think I was in any shape to do such thing when you arrived," she said. "It wasn't exactly one of my stronger moments, ne?"

Shoji took his hands off his wife immediately, and looked at her in concern. "We don't have to do this," he started. "I know that you're feeling a bit weak now, and if you think I'm taking advantage of you in anyway…if-if there's someone else…"

Saeko stepped back and looked at her husband ironically. "You haven't always been the most logical, darling, but when on earth would I have had time for someone else? If I recall-"

Shoji shuffled his feet embarrassedly, not wanting to admit that he had come to the same conclusion, but forgotten in his anxiety to feel her out. Feel her…? He sweat dropped and pushed that thought to the back of his mind.

"And as for taking advantage of me…" here Saeko stopped as she noticed her husband's pink cheeks and still shuffling feet. "Honestly Shoji!" she exclaimed, rolling her eyes.

"I thought it was a legitimate concern!" he stammered, looking up into her at once sad and mirthful eyes.

Saeko once more closed the gap between them. "How could I have ever gotten so lost in my work that I failed to appreciate you?" she whispered.

"You know it wasn't like that-" started Shoji. He stopped as a finger was placed gently on his lips.

"Let's start over, shall we?" his wife asked.

"I love you," he stated, simply.

"I love you too Shoji," Saeko breathed, "and- thanks for not ever giving up on me." Their lips reached tentatively toward each other…

"WAIT!" shouted a gasping voice, "Don't..!"

Saeko and Shoji broke away from each other in shock as seven young women burst into the clearing, their daughter facing away from them, frantically jumping up and down in the lead.

"Ano…" Shoji began tentatively.

Ami's entire being colored as she recognized her father's voice and quickly turned around. "O-otou-san," she stuttered. "Gomenasai!"

Her father looked at her in confusion. One of his eyebrows rose. "You better take advantage of the situation?" he asked questioningly.

"H-hai, well, you see-" she stammered. "It's just that minna- well they all wanted to meet you, and I was distracted- but then I remembered! And I tried to run after them but- I guess we all reached the clearing before I could warn them," she finished in a tiny voice.

"Am I to take it that the blood curdling shout of 'stop' was for them and not us then?" her mother asked in an amused voice.

"Sou desu yo…" Ami answered, hand raised behind her head in sudden further embarrassment. "I guess I was a bit carried away…"

The rest of the scouts mirrored Ami's position as the two parties looked across at each other in continued embarrassment and confusion, but Haruka some-what gracefully spoke up, "ano…perhaps we could come at a better time?"

Ami's parents glanced at each other, then laughed whole-heartedly. "We've waited fourteen years already," Saeko said wryly, "what's a few more moments for our daughter's closest friends?"

Shoji looked toward his wife with a pout, then smiled charmingly toward the scouts and bowed with a flourish. "Mizuno Shoji at your service."

Please Review!

Glossary:

Otou-san ha doko? -where is your dad? (doko where)

Doshite koko ni…? Douyatte shiruyou ni natta no? Why are you here? - How did you come to know?

kawaii onna no ko -cute girls

Mamoru no houga ii -Mamoru is better


End file.
